Aviation

22.8, crash, fatalities

Russia: a Tupolev Tu- 154 airliner flying from southern Russia to St. Petersburg crashed in flames in eastern Ukraine, about 45 km north of the regional town of Donetsk. One hundred and sixty passengers, including 45 children, and 10 crew were on board the aircraft belonging to Pulkovo Airlines. Investigators recovered the flight data and voice recorders. Bad weather or a possible fire might have caused the crash. There were conflicting reports of the cause of the crash. Ukraine’s emergencies ministry said the crew had decided to make an emergency landing after a fire broke out, but Russian officials said the plane had encountered severe weather conditions before it came down. Russia says terrorism has been ruled out as a possible cause. St Petersburg-based Pulkovo Airlines is one of Russia’s larger carriers.